process is to be obtained from Bonnington falls. The tightness of the money market delayed the construction of the plant, but the Provincial Legislature, at its 1908 session, advanced a loan of $10,000 to aid in completing the plant.

Platinum is known to exist in various parts of the Province, associated Platinum. with placer gold in alluvial workings, but it has as yet been mined only as a by-product, and as the placer working in these particular districts has this year been slight, no appreciable production of platinum has been made.

The Province abounds in quarry sites from which excellent building Building Stone. stone could be obtained, and doubtless will as soon as building in stone becomes more general, but at present very little stone is used in the Interior, except for special works. On the Coast, building in stone has become more general, and several very good quarries of sandstone, granite and andesite have been opened up on tide water. In a previous report of this Bureau a detailed description was given of the more important quarries.

Brick.

The manufacture of red brick is increasing rapidly to supply an increasing demand. Suitable clay deposits are found in all districts, but the manufacture on any important scale has been naturally confined to the vicinity of the larger towns and cities. For the most part, the output is the product of small brick-yards, although two or three larger yards have been established near Vancouver.

The fire brick plant at Comox, formerly supplied with clay from the Fire Brick. Fire adjacent coal mines, has not been worked lately, but the coal mines shipped Clay. some 488 tons of fire clay, to be used in the manufacture of pottery. At Clayburn, near Vancouver, a very good deposit of fire clay exists, from which a good quality of pressed brick and fire brick is being made.

The Silica Brick and Lime Co. has built and is operating a plant near Lime-Silica Brick. Victoria for the manufacture of lime-silica brick. The output of the plant for the portion of the year 1907 that it has been in operation was, approximately, 1,100,000 brick. The brick is of a light gray colour and serves as a front brick, and is sold at about $15 a thousand.

Lime.

The manufacture of lime is carried on in a small way at a number of points, while at Victoria, on Saanich arm, on Texada island, near Vancouver, and elsewhere, are kilns making a considerable output. The greater part of the production is made on the Coast, where the limestone deposits are particularly pure, yielding a lime of exceedingly good quality.

Cement.

The only Company actually producing cement in British Columbia is the Vancouver Portland Cement Co., with works at Tod inlet, on the Saanich arm, about 13 miles by road from Victoria. The company sold in 1907 some 143,226 barrels (350 lbs.) of Portland cement, of a total value of $215,000, of which quantity 125,000 barrels were used in the Province. The capacity of the plant now. constructed and in operation is considerably greater than this output would indicate, as about 300,000 barrels can be turned out in the year.

No successful, or very serious, attempts have as yet been made in the Oil and Oil shales. Province at drilling for petroleum. A railway into the Flathead country will, in all probability, be built within a couple of years to certain coal fields on the south fork of Michel creek, and, when this is completed, doubtless some serious attempt will be made to develop the oil fields believed to exist in that section of the Province.

BUREAU OF MINES.

WORK OF THE YEAR.

The work of the Bureau of Mines increases, of necessity, year by year, and this growing activity is due to the following causes:-The extension of the mining area of the Province, with the proportional increase in the number of mines; the increasing desire of the outside public for the free information which the Bureau supplies with regard to the various mining districts and camps; and the appreciation by the prospector of the fact that he may obtain, gratis, a determination of any rock or mineral which he may send to the Bureau.

The routine work of the office, and the preparation and publication of the Report for the year just ended, followed by the examination in the field of as many of the mines and mining districts as the season would permit, together with the work of the Laboratory and instruction of students, fully occupied the staff for the year. The staff of the Bureau consists of the Provincial Mineralogist, the Provincial Assayer, and a junior assistant in the Laboratory, with a clerk as temporary assistant during the publication of the Report.

Provincial Mineralogist.

After the publication of the Annual Report for the previous year and the finishing of office work, the Provincial Mineralogist started on his summer field-work, going first to visit some properties in the vicinity of Ashcroft, and from there continuing south to Highland valley, where a

number of prospects had been developed showing copper ore.

From Highland valley a road was followed to Nicola valley, where the new coal field was examined, a return being made to Victoria on August 4th, in time to, on August 7th, catch the steamer "Tees," which runs up the west coast of Vancouver Island to Quatsino sound.

Here, the various hematite iron locations and a couple of coal prospects were examined, after which the trail was taken to Hardy Bay, on the east coast of the island-the dunnage, etc., having to be packed across on one's back.

By arrangement made with the C. P. Railway, prior to leaving Victoria, the steamer "Princess Beatrice" called in at Hardy Bay on August 18th, on her trip north, to pick up the Provincial Mineralogist and his assistant, Mr. Harold Nation, taking them to Queen Charlotte Islands.

Jedway, on the southern end of Moresby island, one of the Queen Charlotte group, was reached on August 24th, at which point the party left the steamer, and from there various trips were made in a gasoline launch to mineral claims on surrounding bays and islands, ending at Skidegate.

On September 9th, the steamer "Princess Beatrice," then bound southward on her succeeding trip, was taken as far as Swanson bay, where the hospitality of Mr. McKinnon was enjoyed for three days, until the steamer "Camosun" was taken northward to Port Simpson.

Here another transfer had to be made, and on September 15th the steamer "Princess Royal" was taken to Skagway, in Alaska, arriving there on the morning of the 17th.

From Skagway a gasoline launch was taken to Haines, Alaska, from whence a trip was made on foot and by canoe, into the Rainy Hollow camp, on the headwaters of the Klehini river, in the Atlin Mining Division.

Returning by the same route, Skagway was reached on September 27th, and on October 2nd the steamer "Princess Royal" was taken to Victoria, arriving there on October 8th.

In May, and again in December, examinations for Assayers were held in the Government Laboratory, Victoria, by the Board of Examiners, appointed under the Act, on which Board the Provincial Mineralogist and Provincial Assayer sat as examiners.

In November the Provincial Mineralogist, under instructions, went to Fernie, East Kootenay, to make an examination of and to report on a fissure in the mountain, above the coal mines there, which was supposed to threaten a mountain slide, similar to that occurring some years ago at Frank, Alberta.

Subsequently a trip was taken into Greenwood, Grand Forks, Rossland and Nelson.

Towards the end of the year a Bulletin was prepared, and issued after the new year, on the mineral locations on Moresby island, of the Queen Charlotte group.

The remainder of the season was employed in the preparation for publication of the notes taken in the field, the collection and preparation of statistics and the routine work of the office, which included, in connection with the various inquiries for information and the collection of statistics, the sending out of, approximately, 1,200 letters, with approximately the same number received.

In addition to the work performed in the Assay office, which is noted Provincial Assayer. in a separate report herewith, the Provincial Assayer was detached from this Bureau for the summer months and was engaged in making an examination of lands in the Alberni district for the Bureau of Information.

ASSAY OFFICE.

The following is a summary of the work of the Assay Office of the Bureau for the year 1907, as reported by the Provincial Assayer, Mr. Herbert Carmichael :—

During the year 1907 there were made by the staff in the Government Assay Office 905 assays or quantitative determinations, which is a decrease from the number made during the previous year; of these, a number were for the Bureau of Mines, or for the Department, for which no fees were received. The fees collected by the office were as follows:

The value of gold melted during the year was $63,540, in 84 lots, as against $85,000, in

117 lots in 1906.

In addition to the above quantitative work, a large number of qualiFree tative determinations, or tests, were made in connection with the identificaDeterminations. tion and classification of rocks or minerals sent to the Bureau for a report; of these no count was kept, nor were fees charged therefor, as it is the established custom of the Bureau to examine and test qualitatively without charge samples of mineral sent in from any part of the Province, and to give a report on the same. This has been done for the purpose of encouraging the search for new or rare minerals and ores, and to assist prospectors and others in the discovery of new mining districts, by enabling them to have determined, free of cost, the nature and probable value of any rock they may find.

In making these free determinations, the Bureau asks that the locality from which the sample was obtained be given by the sender, so that the distribution of mineral over the Province may be put on record.

A number of soils, clays and waters have been analyzed.

EXAMINATIONS FOR ASSAYERS.

REPORT OF HERBERT CARMICHAEL, SECRETARY OF BOARD OF EXAMINERS.

I have the honour, as Secretary, to submit the Annual Report of the Board of Examiners for Certificates of Competency and Licence to Practice Assaying in British Columbia, as established under the "Bureau of Mines Act Amendment Act, 1899."

The Act requires that at least two examinations shall be held each year, and such have duly taken place.

Both these examinations were held in the Government Laboratory at Victoria, each occupying a week; the first examination began on May 27th, and the second on December 27th, 1907.

At the first examination the Board consisted of the Provincial Mineralogist, the Provincial Assayer and Mr. D. E. Whitaker, Assistant Assayer, and at this examination two candidates came up for examination, of which number only one passed the required examina. tion. At the December examination the Board consisted of the same examiners, at which two candidates stood for examination and both successfully passed.

The question of holding the fall examination at Nelson was thought of, providing a sufficient number of candidates from the Upper Country entered for the examination. Advertisements were inserted in the Kootenay papers, giving notice of such intention and calling for entries, but no sufficient number applied to justify the considerable additional expense entailed by holding an examination away from Victoria.

In addition to the three candidates mentioned above, who successfully passed the examinations, the Board recommended during the year the granting of three certificates by exemption, under sub-section (2) of section 2 of the Act. In accordance with these recommendations, all these six certificates have been duly issued by the Honourable the Minister of Mines.

The following is a list, up to December 31st, 1907, of those to whom Certificates of Competency have been issued:

LIST OF ASSAYERS HOLDING PROVINCIAL CERTIFICATES OF EFFICIENCY UNDER THE

"BUREAU OF MINES ACT AMENDMENT ACT, 1899."

(Only the holders of such certificates may practise assaying in British Columbia.)

LIST OF ASSAYERS HOLDING PROVINCIAL CERTIFICATES OF EFFICIENCY.-Concluded.

(Provincial Mineralogist.)

Marshall, Dr. T. R ....Glasgow, Scotland.

PREVIOUSLY ISSUED UNDER THE "BUREAU OF MINES ACT, 1897," SECTION 12.